The Results of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Meeting in Moscow

On 23 October in Moscow, at the President Hotel, a "round table", "Azerbaijani and Armenian Diaspora in Russia: Inter-Ethnic Dialogue" was held organized by the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Azerbaijanis in Russia (Azerros FNCA) and the Union of Armenians of Russia.

The participants from Azerbaijan were: Azerros Soyun Sadykov, President of FNCA, the chief editor of the newspaper Tribune, Rafael Huseynov, the editor in chief of All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress, Rustam Arifdzhanov, the Vice President of FNCA, Vidadi Abbasov, the Vice President of FNCA, Azerros Mehriban Sadigova, Professor Yousif Amiraslanov, the Chairman of the Committee on Work with the Citizens of the Russian Federation that Came from the CIS, Tamara Pukhova, the Advisor to the Chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan - Moscow Azer Safarov, an international journalist Azer Jahangirov, amoung others.

From Armenian the participants were, President of the Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR) Ara Abramian, the Vice President of UAR Herman Ananyants, the People's Artist of the USSR Armen Jigarkhanyan, the former Executive Director of the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Issues Armen Smbatyan, Vice President of the Russian-Armenian Union Vyacheslav Galoustian, editor in chief of Armenia and the World Lyusik Ghukasyan, and chief editor of Noah's Ark Gregory Anisonyan.

Ara Abramian made noted that Armenians and Azerbaijanis living in Russia have the same interests, and the two neighboring nations should not in controversy. "What national policy we will establish, so will be for our future. If we in Russia are going to live in harmony, then it is better to secure our future, and we will help our homelands of Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said. Abramian called the meeting "historic" because "for the first time in the 20 years' of Russia's modern history, representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Diasporas meet in this format."

"Today's dialogue is necessary. Such meetings should be held regularly. We have to show that Russia is our home. If we can send a message to our brothers and sisters in Armenia and Azerbaijan, everyone will benefit. Any war, any conflict sooner or later is completed at the negotiating table," said Ara Abramian.

Soyun Sadykov, in turn, said that efforts should be made to restore the trust between the two nations. According to the President of FNCA Azerros, Azerbaijanis and Armenians living in Russia should first here, in Russia, learn to respect each other and not to succumb to provocations.

"We need to make sure that the trust between the two nations has been restored. If the two peoples have some conflicts, it is a temporary phenomenon. I believe that time will come, and these conflicts will be resolved. Again the Azerbaijanis will travel to Armenia and the Armenians will travel to Azerbaijan," said the head of FNCA.

Several speakers noted that not everyone will like that between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities such a meeting took place, as there are forces that are not interested in a peaceful dialogue between the two peoples, said Rafael Huseynov, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Tribune. He also noted that he was rather pessimistic about near-term improvement in the relations between the two nations. "For some reason we talk only about dolma (a national meat course shared by the two nations) and music (also having much in common between the Azerbaijanis and Armenians). But there is geopolitics, and certain circles in Russia, the USA, and the UK are advantageous to keep tension between Armenians and Azerbaijanis," said Huseynov.

The meeting became more lively and warm when Azer Jahangirov made an unusual suggestion: though we sometimes fight, we must unite and reconcile. "There is a song Sari Gelin (Blond Girl). It is a song of discord. Armenians say that it is their song, and the Azerbaijanis say it is theirs. And let's hold a holiday festival of the song," he suggested. - And then we mention dolma. So let's have a holiday dedicated to dolma: Armenians' dolma is extended, and the Azerbaijani dolma is smaller and round. These proposals made by Jahangirov were greeted with applause from the participants. Soyun Sadykov said that together with Ara Abramian he had already discussed the issue of a joint Armenian-Azerbaijani music festival.

Finally, the word was given to the young. A member of the youth organization of the Union of Armenians of Russia Tigran Manasyan, told the audience about his teacher in Moscow State University (MSU) Ismayil Agakishiev, from whom he received a "five" on the history of Azerbaijan, and this fact was decisive for him in life.

A MSU law student Elvin Asgarov also shared a cautionary story of his higher school life. "I am a student at the Department of Constitutional Law of the Law Faculty of Moscow State University, and I wrote a term paper, and my head was Suren Avakian. When I chose the topic, my Russian fellow students asked me why I had chosen an Armenian as the head. And I said that I wanted thus to prove that Azerbaijanis and Armenians need to build mutual understanding," said Askerov.

Summing up the meeting, the leaders of the Union of Armenians of Russia and FNCA noted that they would set up a joint working group, which would study all the proposals. It was also decided to meet on November 16, this time in an extended format.

Ara Abramian said that with Soyun Sadykov they already planned a big event in Sochi, which is called a "dialogue of civilizations." According to Abramian, "in this event the Azerbaijanis will have to act in support of the Armenians, and the Armenians, respectively, in favor of the Azerbaijanis." -02D-